Are You Unknowingly Throwing Your Hormones Off Kilter?
Hormone balance is a beautiful inner dance!
People who suffer through painful periods over and over again tend to believe that the food they eat DOES NOT affect their menstrual cycles.
The best case scenario to holding onto this belief is this person suffering through the same symptoms for the rest of their menstruating years.
The worst would be the symptoms growing and getting more and more intense.
And then this would not only impact their menstrual years, but also overflow into their menopausal years.
When hormones are out of balance, they don’t just become fine when they hit menopause.
The food you eat 100% impacts the health of your menstrual cycle.
When a person with insufferable menstrual cycles eats with a conscious effort to balance hormones, they will quickly notice their symptoms becoming lighter and less of a struggle.
Heavy periods become lighter, painful periods move to uncomfortable and then pain free, PMS symptoms decrease to a point where maybe they don’t even remember that it was so bad.
This person becomes someone with happy periods and hormone balance.
No stress around an upcoming period.
They live their life on their own terms, not being controlled by their cycles and pain!
How is this possible?
How can the food we eat have anything to do with our hormones?
How Is Food Used In Your Body?
The food you eat becomes bits and pieces of your body.
As the digestive system breaks down the food you eat, these pieces travel around the body looking for places to be useful.
The glucose in carbohydrates gives us energy, both quick and long-lasting; provides the body with fiber to help flush out the intestines; and they are important for the functioning of the nervous system and muscles.
Amino acids that make up protein are needed for the immune system, hemoglobin, enzymes, and the growth and maintenance of body tissue.
Broken down fats are needed for every cell membrane, warmth and protection of body organs, and as a transport for other nutrients.
These are just a few functions these macronutrients have in your body.
All food breaks down into useable components that are picked up by parts that need them.
Hormone balance is dependent upon the right components available at the right time.
Nutrients and Hormone Balance
Here are some specific examples of nutrients being used to help with hormone balance:
- Fiber – Fiber helps to grab onto and pull out all the stuff hanging out in the large intestine. Menstruators that eat a diet high in dietary fiber have a lower incidence of estrogen dominance. This is because the fiber is what helps the excess and spent estrogen leave the body through the intestines. For information on estrogen dominance, check out my article here!
- Animal fats have been found to increase PMS symptoms because of the way they break down into compounds that can lead to inflammation which leads to pain and irritation of the reproductive organs.
- Dairy products, when broken down, have a ratio of calcium to magnesium that is not ideal for your body or healthy, pain free periods (10:1.) Your body needs more magnesium than that for calm, pain free periods. Eating more dark, leafy greens and whole grains will balance these out.
- Sugar – Eating a lot of sugar will also lead to hormone imbalance. The quick explanation of this is just that when you eat sugar, insulin is released. This is normal and good. When you eat a lot of sugar, a lot of insulin is released which quickly lowers blood sugar levels and can create cravings, mood swings, and headaches. This reaction over time can then lead into a stress response where cortisol and other stress hormones are released. These take valuable nutrients from balanced hormones like progesterone and use it for themselves. This throws off the delicate balance of hormones your body is constantly working at creating.
These are just a few examples of food impacting hormone balance and therefore menstrual pain and suffering.
Articles to Help You Dive Deeper:
To learn more about other menstrual symptoms, check out these articles:
Final Thoughts
The food you eat for the majority of the time, say 80%, impacts your health the greatest.
One or two cookies is not going to throw things off, but maybe 5 or 6 every day will.
It is important to notice and observe how your body reacts and feels eating certain foods.
I invite you to start a Food & Mood journal to see if what you are eating could be affecting your menstrual health, your moods, energy levels…
It’s as simple or complex as you want.
Start writing down what you eat in a day and when. You do not need to share quantities if that triggers you.
Then in another column, write out how you feel and the time. This can be both emotionally and physically.
When you do this for a cycle or two, you will begin to see patterns with the food you consume and how you react to it.
This is a simple yet powerful practice to get you in touch with your body and to connect your body with your mind and spirit!
If you feel like you need personalized guidance from Carly…
I invite you to book a FREE Hormone Clarity Assessment by clicking on the button below!
Yours in plant love,
Carly
